Colorado Republicans push to ban food stamps at pot shops

Colorado Republicans plan to propose a bill next week that will prohibit welfare recipients from using their benefits in pot shops.

The "Preserving Welfare for Needs Not Weed Act," is expected to be introduced on Monday by Reps. Dave Reichert, Scott Tipton and Cory Gardner, Fox31 Denver reported.

Fox31 found that in January, at least 19 different dispensaries allowed for EBT card transactions inside their pot shops.

The bill adds pot shops to the list of locations where food stamps can't be used, which currently includes casinos, gun shops, bars and liquor stores.

According to Fox31, using an ATM inside a pot shop is legal in Colorado because state Democrats killed a bill in January that would have prohibited it.

"It's time to close this 'pot shop loophole' before it gets any bigger," the lawmakers said in a letter, The Colorado Observer.

"This bill does not comment on whether it makes sense for states to legalize the sale of pot, as Colorado and Washington have done," the lawmakers said.

"It simply says that, wherever pot is legally sold, welfare recipients shouldn't be able to readily access welfare funds to pay for it. This taxpayer money is meant to support the basic needs of low-income families with children, including reconnecting parents with work — not to purchase marijuana," the lawmakers said.